4 Tips to Protect Your Business from Cybercrime

Cybercrime is simply crime dependent on PC, mobile, and Internet technology. They’re committed by using online devices, in other words. They include things like hacking and stealing user data, identity theft, and using bank details in order to steal funds available online.

1. Learn The Essence of Cybersecurity

The essence of cybersecurity is to keep user data safe and having policies that shield them from unauthorized access. Cybercriminals like hackers and identity thieves look for avenues and vulnerabilities they can use to pilfer the normally encrypted data.

They then use the info for nefarious goals like impersonation or identity theft, bank fraud, use of credit card numbers to make unauthorized loans, scams, stealing money using digital account password information, and so forth.

2. Remember That Business Cybersecurity is on a Different Scale

While cybercriminals can make quite a bundle of money from stealing email addresses and bank account access from normal citizens through things like phishing and false websites that pretend to be login screens, their biggest jackpots tend to be pilfering info from large businesses.

Any business—no matter how big or small—can be made as targets by hackers. On that note, VPNs aren’t enough to stave them off from stealing your encrypted private data. Instead, you should deploy data privacy solutions to accelerate the protection.

3. Complete a PCI Compliance Checklist

You should have a PCI compliance checklist in order to keep your cybersecurity in tip-top condition when all is said and done. The PCI DSS that the checklist is based on stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.

This standard exists to ensure the improvement of the checks and balances as well as the processes protecting cardholder data, since most cybercrime involves fraudulent online access of that data.

You should do things like:

  • Apply and Maintain Network Security Controls: You should be able to protect cardholder or private network data through things like encryption and firewalls. This secure zone that protects sensitive info should be maintained and upgraded regularly.
  • Protect Stored Account Data: The data should only be available to the cardholder or user on a “Your Eyes Only” basis, even to the point of forcing the user to use 2-step verification (he has to use two verified devices he owns to login). 
  • All System Components Must Have Secure Configurations: If you’re using network software, it should be updated or upgraded regularly. If you’re using a VPN, make sure your monthly or yearly subscription is paid for. Virus scanner definitions should be regularly renewed too.
  • Using Strong Cryptography: Online banking and e-commerce only really took off after encryption technology advanced enough to ensure the safety of online-based debit or credit transactions. Therefore, regularly update your cryptography.
  • Protect Your Systems from Malware: All your systems and networks should be defended against malicious software because virsuses, worms, Trojans, and so forth can breach the defenses of your system from within, leading to data leaks.

4. Hire Cybercrime Lawyers and Know Areas of Cybercrime

You might need to hire criminal defense lawyers when worse comes to worst and someone is able to breach into your system defenses. They should work in tandem with your company in catching the culprit and prosecuting him to the fullest extent

Meanwhile, the two main areas of cybercrime include the following:

  • Cyber-Dependent Crime: Crimes that cybercriminals commit through online devices, such that these devices can either be the target of the crime or used as tools for doing the crime (such as hacking, stealing info, and identity theft).
  • Cyber-Enabled Crime: Cyber-enabled crimes are traditional crimes (bank fraud, espionage, scams, and so forth) enhanced by using technology or enabled by cyber-dependent crime.

Things to Remember

You need cybersecurity to defend against cybercrime. What is its main goal? It’s to protect your company from unauthorized access. It’s the practice of ensuring user access to devices and data via a computer network is protected, encrypted, and safe from the prying eyes of online outlaws. 

Hackers use things like email scams (like the Nigerian Prince scam), IP address spoofing, IP logging, data theft, impersonation, and defrauding banks using your personal info (passwords, password recovery information, and so forth).

Photo credits: coworkinglondon.com

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